ADL Welcomes Resignation of Morsi Adviser who Called for Jews to ‘Leave Israel’

New York, NY, January 7, 2013 … The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) today welcomed the resignation of a close adviser to Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi who last week called for Jews of Egyptian descent to return to Egypt and “leave Israel.”

The official, Essam al-Erian, also reportedly referred to Israel as a “brutal, bloody and racist” state that was guilty of “war crimes against humanity.” He predicted the Jewish state would disappear within a decade. Al-Erian is the deputy head of the Muslim Brotherhood’s Freedom and Justice Party. According to news reports, he submitted his resignation as a presidential adviser earlier today.

“We welcome the resignation of Essam al-Erian,” said Abraham H. Foxman, ADL National Director. “We hope that President Morsi and other Egyptian government leaders will now make it clear that the defamation of Israel and Jews has no place in the country’s national dialogue.”

On January 4, Mr. Foxman wrote to the Egyptian Ambassador in Washington, calling on the government to take action in the wake of al-Erian’s remarks, which ADL described as “outrageous and alarming.”

“This broad-brush negative stereotype of Jews by a senior Egyptian official was inappropriate, unacceptable and raises serious questions about the attitudes of some of Egypt’s leaders towards Jews,” said Mr. Foxman. “Essam al-Erian’s resignation should be an example of the consequences for leaders who express such attitudes.”

ADL’s letter to Egyptian Ambassador Mohamed M. Tawfik expressed appreciation at attempts by government officials to subsequently clarify the official’s remarks about Israel. But the League noted that even some of the official government clarifications “contained troubling qualifications.” For example, Shura Council spokesperson Ahmed Fahmy was reported to have said about Jews that “hostility is their creed.”

ADL is the world’s leading anti-hate organization. Founded in 1913 in response to an escalating climate of anti-Semitism and bigotry, its timeless mission is to protect the Jewish people and to secure justice and fair treatment for all. Today, ADL continues to fight all forms of hate with the same vigor and passion. A global leader in exposing extremism, delivering anti-bias education, and fighting hate online, ADL is the first call when acts of anti-Semitism occur. ADL’s ultimate goal is a world in which no group or individual suffers from bias, discrimination or hate.